Jack Canon's American Destiny

Broken Pieces

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Elena Aitken – When It Hits Close To Home @elenaaitken

When It Hits Close To Home

by Elena Aitken

Writing Composing Myself was hard for me at times because it dealt with a situation that was incredibly close to home for me. Grams and Whitney, two of the main characters, have a very close relationship, not unlike the relationship I shared with my own grandmother. In the book, Grams is diagnosed with cancer, and refuses treatment. This was a very similar situation that I had with my own grandmother and writing some of the scenes was very difficult and at times, very emotional.Some say that writing through your feelings can be very therapeutic, and I never experienced that quite so clearly as while I was writing this book. At times, I couldn’t even see the screen and the words that I was typing, because I was crying so hard. But whenever I wasn’t sure about something, or questioning the story, I would look up to a photo of me with my grandmother, taken only a month before she passed away, and that would help me push through.

I released Composing Myself, only a few weeks before the one year anniversary of my own grandmother’s death and I know she would be proud of the book and proud of me. This book is nearest and dearest to my heart because it is a very special tribute to my grandma and our very special relationship.

Sometimes, writing does help heal those hurts.

Have you ever written something or read a book that helps you through a hard time?